1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-workability siloxane derivative and a method for fabricating the same, particularly to a dissoluble PDMS-modified p(HEMA-MAA) amphiphilic copolymer and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Siloxane has become an emerging material because of its mechanical and physical properties. However, the academia and industry still need to break through the technology bottlenecks of fabricating hydrophilic monomers of siloxane-containing polymers or hydrophilically modifying the surface of siloxane-containing polymers.
The silicone-hydrogel soft contact lenses are very popular now because of its high wearing comfort and obviously-increased oxygen permeability. However, the protein and lipid secreted by eyes are likely to deposit on the hydrophobic surface of the silicone-hydrogel contact lenses, irritating the eyes and dimming the vision. The problem also shortens the service life of contact lenses. The current surface hydrophilic modification technology of silicone hydrogel is mainly realized by the chemical reaction of the functional groups on the surface of silicone hydrogel or the grafting reaction of radicals. However, the abovementioned technology can only apply to the functional groups on the surface of silicone hydrogel. Besides, the reaction condition thereof is more complicated. Further, the hydrophilic monomers for siloxane polymerization must use alcohols containing more than four carbon atoms as the diluents. Furthermore, phase separation may take place and impair fabrication in the abovementioned technology unless the polymerization rate and the ratio of the hydrophilic monomer and the diluent are strictly controlled.
The commercial silicone hydrogel and silicone hydrogel-containing polymeric materials are cross-linked with heat or ultraviolet (UV) ray, and they are no more soluble after polymerized. Besides, the abovementioned polymerized method is likely to damage UV-sensitive or heat-sensitive drugs and active molecules.
Therefore, it is desired by the field concerned to develop a high commercial potential poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-modified copolymer, which keeps the advantages of PDMS and can be fabricated in simple solving and curing processes to achieve various functions, such as a drug delivery function for prolonging the release of drugs. Based on the abovementioned causes, the present invention proposes a dissoluble PDMS-modified p[HEMA (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-MAA (methacrylic acid)] amphiphilic copolymer and a method for fabricating the same.